🔗 Share this article

While many fans in the UK concentrate on club season-opening fortunes or debate upcoming fall test matches, the contest for 2027 Rugby World Cup qualification rages on at full pace.

Chile's Remarkable Accomplishment

Chile secured their back-to-back spot at the competition with a sensational playoff victory against Samoa recently, leaving only a single place left to be claimed for Australia in two years. Meanwhile, the Paraguayan side surprised Brazil by twenty points in the first leg of their qualifying series.

The return match takes place on Saturday in the Brazilian city, near São Paulo, as Brazil's men's team aims to follow their women's success and qualify for the first occasion.

Upcoming Qualification Showdown

Regardless of Paraguay manages a surprise aggregate victory, or Brazil bounces back following manager Emiliano Caffera's recent dismissal, the participants for next month's Dubai qualification tournament will then be finalized. Namibia, the Belgian squad, and Samoa have already secured spots for the Middle Eastern showdown from November 8th to 18th.

Worldwide Qualifying Updates

Several other nations have likewise secured their spots. The Hong Kong China team sealed maiden qualification after defeating Korea by a large margin in July, and Zimbabwe will return to rugby union's most prestigious stage for the first time in over three decades after winning the African championship.

Chile's Rising Profile

The consequence of Chile's playoff success means that Los Condores will face Italy for the first time next month during the autumn internationals, replacing Samoa who must participate in the Dubai tournament.

World Rugby's chief executive described Chile an "thrilling and rapidly rising power" in announcing the upcoming match in the Italian city. While local rugby markets aim for larger crowds, Chilean rugby is buoyant. A capacity crowd of more than twenty thousand witnessed the playoff victory in Viña del Mar, and head coach the national coach has guided the squad on an upward trajectory since taking over in recent years.

Manager's Impressive Career

The fifty-year-old former Uruguayan forward has been influencing the game for decades: signed by Bristol in the late 90s, he memorably broke through the English defense to touch down at the 2003 Rugby World Cup.

His impact as head coach has been similarly significant: Chile have climbed to 17th, their best ranking. During the previous tournament in Europe, they were defeated in all matches, allowing 215 points and scoring 27, featuring a heavy defeat against the English team.

However, they proudly found the positive aspects, and after the tournament draw in Australia on December 3rd, Lemoine can start preparations seriously. They hosted the Scottish team previously, defeated by a significant margin in front of twenty-four thousand supporters, and while they were defeated over two legs by the Uruguayan side in the initial qualifying round, they managed a narrow win on the road in Montevideo.

Samoa's Qualification Struggle

The Samoan team, in contrast, have not missed all World Cup since 1991, but are currently languishing in sixteenth place in the men's rankings. They were without a victory in this year's Pacific Nations Cup, resulting in qualifying disappointment versus Chile, and the requirement to meet teams like Belgium brings additional challenge for the rugby-loving country.

Tournament Structural Updates

Apart from individual nations' fortunes, it is important to consider how different the expanded tournament will appear in the next edition. For the first occasion, there will be a round of 16 with six groups of four rather than four groups of five. Pool-stage jeopardy is significantly reduced because the top four third-placed sides will also advance.

Hosts and Rankings Consequences

The hosts, the Australian team, are now placed seventh in the global rankings, which means they would fall short on a top seed and could face one of South Africa, New Zealand, the Irish, the French, England, or Argentina in Pool A. They could rise into the highest seeds during a busy November, though: the English team, the Italian side, the Irish squad, and France are their fixtures, with a match versus the Japanese team in the capital additionally planned for 25 October.

Wales, meanwhile, are teetering in twelfth place, with the Japanese side below, and the implications of dropping to 13th and into the third seeding group are possibly severe.

American Representation and Future Tournaments

An additional new dimension for the next World Cup is the participation of five nations from the American continent: Argentina, Uruguay, the United States, Canada, and the Chilean squad – with Paraguay or Brazil potentially becoming the sixth. From World Rugby's perspective, American interest is positive, especially with the 2031 World Cup set to be staged by the USA, and the selection process for the 2035 tournament was initiated recently.

Immediate Priority

For now, though. The second installment of Brazil v Paraguay sets up a four-team qualifying contest, along with a possible rankings shake-up throughout the European nations in the coming month. Regardless of the outcome, Chile's qualification for a second consecutive World Cup has already made them as a resounding triumphant example.